Rooms & Gardens has been defining it’s own unique style to the acclaim of clients in southern California and throughout the United States. Rooms & Gardens style is a creative mix of British colonial and California casual with French and Eastern influences. Founded in Santa Barbara in 1993 by Eric and Jami Voulgaris, the store was an instant success and boasted many clients and celebrities both locally and nationally. In 2006, the Voulgaris’ joined actress, Mary Steenburgen, a longtime client of Rooms & Gardens, to open Rooms & Gardens, Santa Monica.

Rooms & Gardens Home Furniture & Decor Blog

There are many things we love here at Rooms & Gardens: our eclectic mix of handcrafted furniture and vintage pieces, sumptuous array of accessories, and of course, John Robshaw’s textiles. We had a great time a few months ago when he dropped by to surprise us in our Santa Monica store. Last week his gorgeous fall collection made its way to our shelves and the separation anxiety really started kicking in. We decided to give our good friend a call, reminisced about his visit, and discussed some of his favorite finds from our store.

John was immediately drawn to our framed vintage map prints. “I try to escape to the coast as often as I can. Nautical maps always help plan my next adventure,” said John. He was referring to a black and white California map from our collection. The map is a high quality reproduction set in a classic weathered black frame, and can serve as a true focal point for a living room, office or bedroom.

Continuing our conversation about his love of travel, John thought of our Faux Bamboo Bed. He noted, “I like the dark bamboo color which looks great against Uzbek velvets and the Thai Hill tribes textiles I’ve created... reminds me of my time relaxing in the Bahamas.”

After our brief excursion to the Caribbean, John mused over the many treasures he has collected from his travels. “I overload my apartment with kitschy items collected on my journeys, each one telling its own individual story... The legend of the Good Fortune Ball is one of my favorites,” John recounted. Our Good Fortune Ball is also a favorite accessory of co-owner Mary Steenburgen, and it was one of the first finds that was introduced when she opened the Santa Monica store with Eric and Jami Voulgaris.

We steered the conversation back to John’s textiles and bedding collection, and the many uses of textiles became a topic. “I love the mercury glass lamp with the John Robshaw for Duralee fabric shade. It’s fun to layer and mix and match different styles and textures,” he said, referring to one of our most popular lamp and shade ensembles.

You can’t think of John Robshaw without picturing fun and colorful patterns filling in your head. We love covering our furniture in John’s fabrics, and our beds are always adorned with his exquisite collection of decorative pillows sheeting, coverlets, and quilts. I had earlier sent John a photo of a recent vignette featuring our Hampton chair, and asked his opinion of our use of his pillows. He replied, “Rustic and modern pair this chair with funky geometrics to make it really fun.” John Robshaw code for a job well done.

We want to thank John for his continued support, and fabulous fabrics. As well celebrate his new fall collection; we look forward to the many more that will come.

Blue and White Porcelain, is characterized by its simple yet elegant designs, bright colors, rich pattern decoration, and its refined white quality. They are distinguished from other porcelains by their blue flowers, and other uniquely Chinese motifs. The materials of the blue flowers, and other designs, are comprised of a natural cobalt mineral, which is easy to use, but never fades. Blue and White Porcelain is made by using the color blue, usually cobalt oxide, to create a design on white clay. The color and clay are covered in a transparent glaze, and baked in a kiln at high temperatures.

The first Blue and Whites can be traced back as far as the Tang Dynasty, however these pieces were quite primitive. As technique and materials developed so did the designs of the pieces. By the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, the Blue and White ware industry had become increasingly popular. These Blue and White pieces were not only known within the boarders of China, but they were also welcome in the international trade market, initiating their imitation throughout Asia. By the 18th Century, Chinese Blue and White Porcelain had been introduced as far as Europe, and now it has been popularized around the world. These artistic treasures continue to rise in value, and attract more and more attention as time goes on.

The subtle look of Blue and White Porcelain can often be read as a neutral, which makes them easy to introduce to a number of styles. These multipurpose accents can be found in a number of places around the home. Combine an eclectic grouping on a console, place a pair of ginger jar lamp bases by a bed, or work smaller vases into a bookshelf story. Between their timeless look and complete versatility, Blue and Whites can be incorporated into almost any space.

Botanical studies are a beautiful and historical works of art. Dating back to ancient times, floral compositions have been a popular artistic treatment for quite some time. They not only represent some of our earliest scientific efforts, but they also stunningly illustrate the entities of our favorite garden beds.

On Memorial Day weekend, Rooms & Gardens celebrated its 21st anniversary of the opening its first store in Santa Barbara, and we are about begin our 9th year in Santa Monica! In order to be able to reach out to our loyal clients from California to New York, and everywhere in between, we have kicked off a major project to greatly enhance our web presence. New designs, fresh products, and the latest trends from Rooms & Gardens are now available online, and can be delivered right to your home. As part of our efforts, we are happy to debut our very own blog.

To kick things off, we wanted to introduce you to Academy Award winning actress Mary Steenburgen, co-owner of the Santa Monica store, to discuss a few of her favorite Rooms & Gardens things! Before partnering with Eric & Jami Voulgaris to open Rooms & Gardens in Santa Monica, Mary was a longtime client and friend of the couple. Her style is right in line with our stores' California casual meets British colonial, with an air of French and Oriental influence, look.